No. 3 Kansas Travels to Iowa State Saturday in Men's Basketball

Jan. 22, 2010

Kansas notes for Iowa State in PDF Format

No. 3 Kansas (17-1, 3-0 Big 12) hits the road for a Big 12 matchup at Iowa State (12-6, 1-2 Big 12) on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Kansas is coming off an 81-75 win against Baylor on Wednesday when it extended the nation’s longest home court winning streak to 53 games. Iowa State returns home following a two-game road swing and look to rebound from a 78-71 loss at Texas Tech Wednesday. Kansas will be the fourth nationally-ranked team to play at Iowa State this season.

About Kansas

Kansas is 3-0 in conference play for the fourth-straight season. The Jayhawks are 3-1 in true road games and 5-1 in games away from Allen Fieldhouse in 2009-10. The Jayhawks average 85 points per game and give up 61.5 ppg for a +23.5 scoring margin, which leads the Big 12. In league play, Kansas is scoring 84.7 points per game and holds a +14.7 scoring margin. Senior guard Sherron Collins leads the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game and has scored 22 or more points in four of his last five games. Collins had 28 points against Baylor (Jan. 20). Collins leads the team with 75 assists and 40 three-pointers, one ahead of freshman guard Xavier Henry. Henry averages 14.9 points per game and also has a team-high 34 steals. He had seven steals against Baylor. Junior center Cole Aldrich leads Kansas with 9.9 rebounds per game to complement his 10.8 scoring average. He has six double-doubles on the year and 28 for his career. Aldrich also leads the team in blocked shots at 3.6 per contest. Sophomore forward Marcus Morris has averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in his last three games, including 20 points against Texas Tech (Jan. 16) and 22 points versus Baylor. He is scoring 12.2 points per game for the season and is second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Brady Morningstar made his first start of the season against Baylor and is scoring 4.6 points per game. He averages 3.2 assists and has a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor is scoring 6.9 points per game and he is second on the team with 68 assists. Taylor and Marcus Morris are tied for third on the team with 20 steals apiece. Sophomore forward Markieff Morris, twin of Marcus, is coming off the bench to score 6.4 points per game. He is third on the team with a 5.1 rebound average. Junior guard Tyrel Reed had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and scores 4.6 points per outing. He has 21 three-pointers and 29 total field goals made this season. Freshman guard Elijah Johnson (3.5 ppg) has started two games this season, while fellow freshman Thomas Robinson (3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) is another KU regular. Robinson started his first career game at Nebraska (Jan. 13).

About Iowa State

Iowa State is 12-6 on the season and 1-2 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are 9-2 at home in 2009-10. ISU has lost three of its last five games with two of those coming against top 10 teams – then-No. 7 Duke 86-65 in Chicago on Jan. 6 and then-No. 2 Texas 90-83 on Jan. 13 in Ames. Iowa State averages 75.8 points per game and holds a +8.8 scoring margin. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 42.1 percent and make 7.5 threes per game. Junior forward Craig Brackins leads the team and is 10th in the Big 12 in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Brackins has a team-high 23 blocked shots and is second on the squad with 49 assists and 8.2 rebounds per game. Senior forward Marquis Gilstrap is next in scoring at 14.9 points per game and leads the team with 9.1 rebounds per game, which is fifth in the conference. Junior guard Diante Garrett is a starter who scores 8.4 points per game and ranks third in the Big 12 in assists with 5.2 per game. He also leads the team with 25 steals. Junior forward LaRon Dendy comes off the bench to score 7.7 points per game. He has 20 blocked shots on the season. Sophomore guard Scott Christopherson scores 6.9 points per game and has a team-best 22 three-pointers. Sophomore center Justin Hamilton is a starter who scores 4.9 ppg, while freshman guard Chris Colvin (3.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Dominique Buckley (2.0 ppg) round out the ISU regulars. Junior guard Lucca Staiger (9.4 ppg) shocked ISU when he left the team on Jan. 19 to pursue a professional career in his homeland of Germany. Staiger had a team-high 48 three-pointers in 2009-10 for ISU.

The Series

Kansas leads the all-time series with Iowa State 166-58, and has won the last eight meetings. KU holds a 64-36 record against ISU in games played in Ames, Iowa, including a 20-18 edge in Hilton Coliseum. The Jayhawks have defeated the Cyclones five-straight times in Hilton dating back to 2005. This series dates back to 1908. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas is 21-7 against Iowa State with a 19-7 record in regular-season play and 2-0 mark in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Last season’s matchup in Ames was quite memorable as ISU’s Craig Brackins scored 42 points against Kansas. It was the most points scored by a player against Kansas since Randy Rutherford of Oklahoma State had 45 against KU in 1995. KU’s Sherron Collins had 26 in the Jayhawks’ 82-67 victory.

Team Notables

–KU leads the Big 12 in scoring margin (+23.5). The Jayhawks also lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (36.3), assists at 18.5 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.5. The Jayhawks rank in the top three in all but four Big 12 statistical categories.

–Through 18 games, Bill Self has used at least nine players in the first half of every game. He has used a season-high 11 players in the first half twice – against Baylor (Jan. 20) and Central Arkansas (Nov. 19).

–Ten of Kansas’ 17 victories this season have been by 25 or more points with eight of those by 30 points or more.

–KU averages 6.4 blocked shots per game to its opponents’ 3.3.

–Kansas has shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 18 games this season, including seven of its last 11 contests.

–Kansas has also held 13 of 18 opponents this season to under 40 percent from the field.

–KU’s bench has outscored its opponents’ bench in 13 of 18 games this season.

–Through 18 games, nine different Jayhawks have led the team in steals, seven in points and six in assists.

–Kansas forces 15.3 turnovers per game and averages 18.2 points off turnovers per game.

Player Notables

–Senior Sherron Collins has scored 22 or more points in four of his last five games, including 28 against Baylor (Jan. 20). In his last five games, he is averaging 22.8 points. He had a career-high 33 points in the come-from-behind win against Cornell (Jan. 6). Collins is Kansas’ leading scorer for the 2009-10 season with 15.3 points per game. Collins has shot 50 percent or better in five of his last seven games. He is making 85.9 percent from the free throw line. Collins’ 16.3-point scoring average is ninth in the Big 12. Collins also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (eighth at 47.1), free throw percentage (second at 85.9), assists (tied for ninth at 4.2), three-point field goal percentage (ninth at 42.1), three-point field goals made (sixth at 2.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (seventh at 2.2).

–Junior Cole Aldrich, an Academic All-America candidate, is averaging nearly a double-double with 10.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg. He has pulled down at least nine rebounds in seven of his last nine games and had a season-high 18 rebounds at Tennessee (Jan. 10). Aldrich has at least three blocked shots in nine of his last 10 contests. Aldrich was named Big 12 co-Player of the Week (Jan. 4) after posting two-straight double-doubles in wins against Belmont and at Temple. He is second in the Big 12 and ranks in the top 10 nationally with 3.4 blocked shots per game. Aldrich is fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.9 rpg. He has 28 career double-doubles, including six this season.

–Freshman Xavier Henry has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice this season and is second on the team in scoring with 14.9 ppg. He has led KU in scoring in six games this season, including a career-high 31 points against La Salle (Dec. 12). He has scored in double figures in all but two games. Xavier leads Kansas with 34 steals and had a Kansas freshman-tying record seven against Baylor (Jan. 20). He is second on the team with 39 three-point field goals made. He has made multiple three-pointers in 11 contests. He is tied for fourth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 42.9 percent. He also ranks 15th in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.9 ppg, 12th in free throw percentage at 77.9, tied for second in steals at 1.9 and tied for seventh in three-pointers made at 2.2.

–Sophomore Marcus Morris has averaged 20.3 points in his last three games and is 22-for-29 (75.9 percent) from the field in that span. He is third on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and second in rebounds with 5.5 rpg. Morris has pulled down 23 rebounds in the last three games. He has two double-doubles on the season – vs. Michigan (Dec. 19) and vs. Oakland (Nov. 25). He has started 15 games in 2009-10. Morris is shooting 60 percent from the field for the season.

–Junior Brady Morningstar made his first start of the season against Baylor (Jan. 20) and had five points, three assists and two steals. Morningstar had a season-high eight points and six rebounds against Texas Tech (Jan. 16). He has 29 assists and nine turnovers in his eight games played for a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Morningstar dished out a career-high seven assists against California (Dec. 22). A defensive stopper who started all but one game last season, Morningstar missed the first nine games of the season due to breaking team rules. Morningstar is a redshirt junior who is the oldest player in the Big 12 at 23.

–Junior Tyrel Reed, an Academic All-America candidate, scored 11 points at Nebraska (Jan. 13), which was one shy of his season-high of 12 against Central Arkansas (Nov. 19). He had five points against Texas Tech (Jan. 16) and set his career high with three steals. Reed has made 21 three-pointers this season and 72.4 percent of his field goals made in 2009-10 have been from beyond the arc. Reed has made at least one three in 14 games this season and multiple threes in four contests. Reed is averaging 4.6 points per game.

–Sophomore Tyshawn Taylor had five assists and no turnovers in 15 minutes of action against Baylor (Jan. 20). He has scored in double figures in five games this season, including 11 points at Nebraska (Jan. 13) and 13 points at Tennessee (Jan. 10). Taylor is averaging 6.9 ppg and has shot 50 percent or better in eight games. He ranks 11th in the Big 12 in assists at 3.8 and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.1.

–Sophomore Markieff Morris is third on the team with a 5.1 rebound average and is scoring 6.4 points per game. He was perfect at Nebraska (Jan. 13) going 2-for-2 from the field and making his only three-point attempt in scoring five points. He has pulled down six or more rebounds in eight games this season. Morris had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against La Salle (Dec. 12). He is second on the team with 15 blocked shots and is shooting 57.1 percent from the field on the season.

–Freshman Thomas Robinson played 11 minutes with four points, five rebounds and one blocked shot against Texas Tech (Jan. 16). He made his first career start at Nebraska. Robinson averages 9.6 minutes per game with 3.6 ppg and 3.7 rpg. He is third on the team with 13 blocked shots. Robinson has had two games of double-figure scoring and had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Alcorn State (Dec. 2). He has pulled down four or more rebounds in eight games.

–Freshman C.J. Henry has appeared in 11 games this season and has a 3.6 ppg average. He is 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the field, including 11-for-20 (55 percent) from three-point range.

–Freshman Elijah Johnson has appeared in 15 games, averaging 8.8 minutes per game with a 3.5 scoring average and 1.9 assist average. He has scored seven or more points in five games. Johnson, who has two starts this season, had a career-high 11 points in his starting debut against Radford (Dec. 9). He is third on the team with 28 assists.

Up Next

Kansas returns home to host Missouri on Monday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. on ESPN’s Big Monday. The Jayhawks will then play at nationally-ranked Kansas State on Saturday, Jan. 30 on ESPN at 6 p.m. ESPN Gameday will originate from Manhattan on Jan. 30. This marks the fifth time in the six-year history of ESPN Gameday that Kansas has been featured. KU hosted ESPN Gameday in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and was the visiting team at Texas in 2006. Following the KSU game, Kansas will travel to Colorado Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2 before returning home Feb. 6 against Nebraska at 5 p.m. on ESPNU.